As new undeveloped land becomes scarce in San Diego and the economic downturn has put pressure on existing developments, particularly retail and commercial spaces, the trend has shifted towards infill redevelopment. Hillcrest’s Uptown District Shopping Center, developed three decades ago, has been heralded as the type of infill major cities should now strive for. Developments such as this one, however, are not easy to achieve nor are they to emulate. This research is a study of what makes...

Infill development is the future of growth in San Diego. Yet when new infill projects are announced they are often opposed by community groups that do not want the character of their neighborhood to change. The goal of this case study was to get ahead of the contentious phase of the redevelopment process by examining a potential infill site in the Birdland neighborhood. The study sought to determine whether there was consensus among the residents -- without the pressure that a looming...